


Racial Tensions

by nadiaselite



Category: Cloak & Dagger (Comics), Cloak & Dagger (TV 2018), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Marvel Universe, Police Brutality, but also high key racist, cloak and dagger, kind of triggering, low key racist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 19:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadiaselite/pseuds/nadiaselite
Summary: Tyrone gets falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit by a racist cop and Tandy just doesn't know to handle it.





	Racial Tensions

_ Tyrone: Let’s go grab some food. I need a break. _

_ Tandy: You take breaks? _

_ Tyrone: Ha Ha. I’ll be there in 5. _

Tandy quickly gathered her things together. Ty was a man of his word. Five minutes meant five minutes. And sure enough, he was there before she could even make it out of her room. She rushed out of the house still trying to slip her arm into the sleeve of her jacket.

Tandy took a seat beside him flashing a large smile in his direction as she settled in. Ty looked so effortlessly attractive. It really wasn’t fair. His messy curls sticking out from beneath his black hood, his grey sweatpants, and the sweet sweet smell that was Tyrone Johnson was enough to make her feel something.

“Took you long enough.” Ty teasingly nudged Tandy’s elbow. She closed her eyes upon contact.

She had gotten so used to not being able to touch for so long that now every time they came into contact it was almost too much for her to handle. It sent a wave of heat throughout her body, the nerves beneath her skin vibrating upon contact.

“I was like 5 seconds late.” Tandy quickly suppressed her emotions falling comfortably into their not so witty banter.

Even with a smile on his face, she could see the tension in his body. There was clearly something on his mind. That’s obviously why he’d texted her. But she wasn’t going to push yet. He’d tell her whenever he was ready.

They hadn’t seen each other in a week. He had been too busy with  _ Evita _ . Tandy mentally rolled her eyes at the thought. Something about her just made her insides squirm. She didn’t like her. For reasons that didn’t make sense yet.

But even with his know it all girlfriend, it was still Tandy that he texted when he wanted to talk. She was the person he trusted. And that was enough for her.

“So, where are we going?” Tandy stared out the window. It felt like they’d been driving forever. Probably because any of their usual spots were within a 10-minute radius of where she lived. They were consistent with  _ their spots _ .

“I don’t know. Just a drive.” Tyrone kept his eyes ahead of him. His hood covered most of his face. But she didn’t need to see his face or any verbal confirmation to know he was off.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tandy watched as his expression changed, the tension slowly leaving his shoulders as he let out a deep sigh.

“I wanted to.” He pulled his hood off peering over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Tandy’s face. “But I feel better now.”

“I have that effect on people.” Tandy smiled to herself as she watched Tyrone softly chuckle. It wasn’t her finest joke, but she knew sometimes a shitty joke could go a long way. At least with Tyrone. He was the only person who bothered to laugh at her shitty jokes.

Afterward, they sat in a comfortable silence. It was clear the atmosphere had shifted drastically. Tyrone was a lot lighter, the tension he’d been carrying when he first pulled up was all gone. Now she could actually sit back and appreciate this side of him. The carefree side of him that let himself laugh and have fun. The side of him that let himself crack jokes and be something other than perfect.

This was what she loved most about their relationship. They didn’t need to try hard to try to mask some weird awkwardness that may linger between them. They could just be without having to think too much. There was no pressure with Ty. It’s something she’d never quite experienced but was ever so grateful for.

Their moment was soon lost when the sound of police sirens pulled their attention away. The tension in Tyrone’s shoulders resurfaced. Tandy was more annoyed than scared. “What could they have possibly even pull you over for? You’ve been driving like you’re trying to pass your driver’s test.”

“Just relax. Let me do the talking.” Tyrone’s eyes were telling. He was scared, but he meant what he said.

It pained Tandy to see him like this. Given his history with the police, it was obvious why he’d be so hesitant when they were around. Even if he didn’t do anything wrong.

A tall old white police officer approached the car. His eyes narrowed down at Tyrone as he leaned into his window. “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

Tyrone fidgeted in his seat tightening his grip on the steering wheel. His knuckles had gone pale from how tightly he was holding onto it. He barely tilted his head towards the cop, avoiding eye contact as he spoke. “I’m actually not sure. I wasn’t speeding.”

The cop threw his head back, letting out a light chuckle. His eyes began to wander from Tyrone’s face to the rest of the car. As if he was looking for a real reason to be harassing Tyrone. “You didn’t turn your indicator on while changing lanes.”

Tandy scoffed. Propping herself up on the armrest she leaned in to catch his attention. “Are you serious?” It was clear he why he was actually pulling them over. Another old racist white cop finding any reason to harass a young black kid.

“Tandy.” Tyrone glared at Tandy causing her to immediately retreat back to her seat. “I’m sorry officer. That’s my mistake.”

There were very few times that Tyrone got like this, but Tandy knew better than to protest. It wasn’t the time nor was it the place. The last thing she needed was for him to be angry at her too. But damn she wanted to take this cop down. He was definitely dancing on her last nerve.

The officer’s eyes met Tandy’s as he continued to stare into the car. “Yeah, well I’ll need your license and registrations.”

Tandy couldn’t help herself anymore. Tyrone clearly was not handling it. He was going to let this shitty old racist cop walk all over him. And as long as she was there she’d be damned if she’d ever let that happen. “You’re going to ticket him for not using his indicator? Are you serious?”

“Tandy. Stop.” Tyrone kept his eyes locked on Tandy’s as he handed over his license and registrations. It felt like they were bickering like some old married couple. She was the feisty one who didn’t put up with anyone’s shit and he was the cool calm and collected one.

But it was good. They balanced each other out that way. Realistically he was the light and she was the darkness even if their powers revealed otherwise. They contrasted perfectly. Maybe that was why they got along so well.

“I just want to do a quick check.” Tandy rolled her eyes as the police officer walked away, folding her arms across her chest at the thought that he’d even consider looking into Ty over something so trivial.

“Tandy, chill.” Tyrone grabbed her hand giving it a soft squeeze. She was right to be mad, hell he should have been mad too. But he didn’t have the same luxury as she did. Had he been the one talking back he’d be face down on the pavement outside.

“What the hell Ty? You didn’t do anything wrong and you know it.” She scowled at him. But her expression immediately softened as she considered how terrible he must feel. She hated this so much. It wasn’t fair.

“It’s better to just cooperate.” Tyrone softly ran his thumb across her knuckles. It was mostly to help himself than her. He found comfort in her presence. Just knowing that he wasn’t alone was enough for him. “It’s better than being dead.”

Tandy’s eyes shot up from their intertwined fingers to his tear-filled eyes. And it was true. For her, this may as well just be a simple traffic stop that was just wasting her time, but for him, this could be a matter of life or death. “Ty.”

Guilt rose in her cheeks as she stared at him. She would do anything to change this. To change how he felt right now. To show him he was safe. But none of it would ever be enough. So, instead, she just squeezed his hand right back. A simple form of reassurance that she would be there for him. Right by his side.

After a few minutes, the officer made his way back towards them. But something about his stature had changed. He wasn’t fishing anymore. He was too determined for that. Something was off.

Without even asking he opened Tyrone’s door stepping to the side to allow him just enough room to brush past him. “Sir, I’m going to need you to step outside the vehicle.”

Tandy sat up in her seat more enraged than ever. “For what? He did nothing wrong.”

The officer didn’t even look at her. But instead focused his attention on Tyrone who was too scared to move. “Just step out of the vehicle.”

Tyrone reached for his seatbelt without a word. But before he could do anything Tandy grabbed his arm giving it a tug. “Ty. No.”

He ignored her flashing an apologetic look at her before stepping out of the car. Tandy was too shocked to move. Was he actually going to be arrested for not turning on his blinker? How racist do you have to be to make a charge like that stick?

She was fuming. So, she stepped out of the car. Nowadays people start to record these types of things, but she wasn’t nearly close enough to any type of normal state of mind to do any of that.

“Hands on the car.” The police officer pushed Tyrone up against the car. More aggressive than he even needed to be. He pressed his face against the window.

Tandy slammed her door making her way to the other side. Fighting every urge within her to conjure up a dagger and stick it right up his ass. “He did nothing wrong. Get your hands off him.”

It felt like she was just crying hysterically at a wall. The officer didn’t look at her or even acknowledge her existence. Even when she pushed him he didn’t give her the time of day. Had she been a young black girl maybe he’d have more to say?

Tandy had never considered her privilege. Even when Tyrone tried to explain it to her she didn’t quite understand. But being there with him and seeing him being taken advantage of like this was too much for her. Tyrone was truly a saint for putting up with all this. He was twice the person she’d ever be.

The officer yanked both of Tyrone’s arms behind his back earning a loud groan in return. IT was clear that he was enjoying this. And Tyrone was just letting him have his way. He didn’t even dare to resist. After handcuffing him he turned towards Tandy. “He fits the description of an escaped robber. Black man, age 18 to 25. Black hoodie. Grey sweats. You know the typical look.”

“His hoodie isn’t even black.” Tandy stepped forward, her hands clenched tightly into fists on both sides of her. The cop’s eyes raked over her, a sinister smile growing on his face that sent Tandy’s stomach into knots. She’d never been more disgusted by anyone in her life. “You can’t just do that.”

“Tandy.” Tyrone blinked at her. It was all he could really do. He was paralyzed by fear, but no matter how scared her was it was still Tandy he wanted to make sure was okay. Because to him, that was more important.

“No.” Tandy began to rush towards him but she was being held back. She noticed a pair of arms around her. She didn’t know when the second car showed up or when they even decided it was okay to get involved but all she knew was she was not going to go down without a fight. “Let him go.”

Tyrone stood in place, careful not to move a muscle as he kept his eyes on her. He kept his composure. There were tears in his eyes, but he was adamant not to let them fall. He wasn’t willing to show any sign of weakness and she respected him for it. “Call my parents. They’ll know what to do.”

As controlled as Tyrone was Tandy was the exact opposite. She was completely unhinged. “No. No. This is  _ not _ happening.” Tugging at the arms wrapped around her she fought to free herself. Hoping that somehow that’d be enough for her to help him. To get him out of this mess.

“Tandy.” Tyrone momentarily closed his eyes. There was no way of calming her down, not like this. All he could do was pray. Pray that somehow he’d make it out of this without a problem. He was a victim of circumstance.

“Ma’am I’m going to need you to let me do my job.” The police officer pushed Tyrone to the ground, his knee pressed into his spine. He flashed a smile into the other officer’s direction.

Tandy fell to her knees pulling the officer that was holding her down with her. Watching as the officer pressed his face into the pavement made her want to scream. “He’s 16 years old. He’s not even wearing what you’re supposed to be looking for.” Tears burned in her eyes before running down her cheeks. It felt like her trachea was slowly closing leaving her incapable of breathing. She was desperately gasping for air as if it were her being pressed to the ground instead of him.

"Stop it, please." She was so vulnerable at that moment. Begging for them to leave him alone. As he lied immobile on the floor involuntarily pinned down for something he had nothing to do with. "It's not fair. You can't do this."

"Tyrone say something. Please." She wiped at the tears running down her cheeks. 

Taking a deep breath she moved out of the grasp of the second officer regaining her composure as she stepped closer. “Right but what does it matter to you? You see a black kid and automatically assume he’s a criminal.” She crossed her arms in front of her nearly shooting daggers at the officer. But he remained unfazed. If it were up to her she’d already have whipped out her dagger and had him pinned to the ground instead.

Suddenly the radio hanging from the officer’s waistband turned on, static making its way across the line. “Calling all units.” There was a crippling silence between all of them. The only sound Tandy could focus on was her heart pumping blood through her body. It gave her a rush. “We’ve got the subject in custody.”

She could see the shift in their attitudes. From complete arrogance to terror. And it immediately clicked. The realization that they were harassing an innocent young black kid settled in. The older officer pulled the radio to his lips keeping his voice as low as possible, careful not to give anything away. “What is your current status?”

But Tandy understood everything. She would have a field day with this. Obviously being white she had a privilege that Tyrone could never understand, but that also meant she had a clear window to take advantage of it. She needed to use her voice not just for herself but for people like Tyrone who are victimized every day just for the color of their skin.

She’d been blinded by ignorance for her entire life, but not anymore.

The voice on the other side of the radio broke the silence once again. “Secured.”

Standing back upright he pulled Tyrone off the ground carefully uncuffing him as if nothing wrong ever happened. Giving him a pat on his shoulder he flashed a smile at Tandy. “I’ll let you off with a warning for now. Use your indicator next time.”

“Use your indicator next time?” Tandy stepped closer, but Tyrone protectively wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her back. It was more for the safety of the officer than her own. But even he couldn’t help contain the anger of Miss Tandy Bowen. “You’re not even going to apologize for falsely accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit. For being aggressive with an innocent kid.”

The cop that previously held Tandy back quickly got into his car. Without another word, he turned on his sirens and drove off leaving the three of them standing on the side of the road. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Tandy.” Tyrone picked her up, carrying her to the other side of the car. Giving the other cop just enough time to get away. He pinned her against the car. His hands carefully held her in place. He’d been close to her before, but the way she was looking at him made his palms sweaty. He was thrown by the intimacy they shared, quickly stepping out of the way. He shook the feeling as he tore his attention away from her. “It’s okay.”

“Ty. What the hell?” Tandy couldn’t read him. She felt sick not knowing what he was feeling. Not even his body gave anything away. But the way he was looking at her was nothing she’d ever seen.

“Let it go.” Tyrone opened her door for her but continued to avoid contact. He didn’t even understand what he was feeling. But he couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t look her in the eyes. Because if he did he’d do something that he couldn’t take back.

Tandy took a seat in his car. Watching him in shock as he walked around the car to the driver’s seat. “Let it go? Ty he just-”

“That fight is not worth either of our lives.” Tyrone matched her gaze. He would never be able to live with himself if anything happened to her because of him. They may not have actually known each other long, but he’d still do anything for her. To protect her. “It’s just how it is.”

One thing she’d never understand was how one person could change so quickly. The Tyrone she’d first met was dying for vengeance. But ever since everything last month he’d changed drastically. Surely he had every right to change, but she just wasn’t ready to follow in his footsteps. “That’s not fair. He can’t just…”

“Look. After everything with Connors, I realized a lot. Revenge comes with a price. You lose more than you gain.” Considering the way things played out it was hard for him to cope. There was no winning no matter what he’d done. Turning the other cheek at least he’d keep his dignity. Because trying to fight back was useless. Or at least that’s how it felt. “I had already lost Billy. But because of my revenge, I lost Duane  _ and _ Fuchs too. Innocent people who died because of  _ me. _ ”

Tandy placed her hand on his forearm giving it a gentle squeeze. They both had demons they were running from. To think that he carried this blame on his shoulders really tugged at her heart strings. He didn’t deserve it. “You didn’t kill them.”

“Not directly. But it was my actions that got them killed.” Tyrone took a deep breath turning his car on. Oh, what he would give to just be a normal teenager. Maybe life would be better that way. Less death and despair, more worrying about who he’d go to prom with.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel once more. To think if either of those police officers had done anything to her he wouldn’t even know what to do. “I can’t let that happen to you too.”

“If you don’t hurt, you get hurt remember?” Tandy released his arm resting her hand back into her lap. She tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand. Lately, it’d become her own little stress ball. Oddly enough it kept her centered. “I was two seconds away from putting my dagger through that asshole’s throat.”

That earned a laugh in response. A genuine Tyrone laugh. The type that brought dimples in his cheeks. It helped ease Tandy’s mind. And by default, Tyrone’s as well. “Then it’d be me bailing you out of jail.”

“At least I wouldn’t get killed in the process.” Tandy felt bad saying it out loud, but it was true. He damn near could have died over something that had nothing to do with him. Had he acted the way she did it’d be completely possible. “But I’d rather it be me than you.”

Tyrone turned back towards her this time with anger. He couldn’t bear the idea of losing her and to hear that come out of her mouth was enraging. “Why?”

“You have more to lose.” Tandy ducked her head. Most of her life she’d thought about how much easier things would be if she was just dead. How much easier it’d be for everyone else, especially her mom. She had nothing to offer. She wasn’t smart or talented. No one even cared about her. If she disappeared it wouldn’t matter to anyone or anything. At least that was until she met Tyrone. “Say things go well. You would still have something added to your record. Your parents would probably find some way to blame you. They’d tell you how you could’ve avoided the situation altogether. Maybe it would even affect basketball and your chance at going to a good college.”

They’d had many conversations about it before. And it always seemed like she didn’t get it. Things had definitely changed since then. This wasn’t how he wanted her to learn about how hard it was to be black. It was just a matter of time. “And if things don’t go well?”

“You could be falsely imprisoned at best.” Tandy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath. She felt this sudden urge to cry. It wasn’t like her to cry over hypotheticals, but the idea of something like that happening to him was profuse. “Or killed.”

Tyrone wrapped his hand around the back of her neck pulling her into his chest. Immediately she buried her face into the crook of his neck her tears seeping through his hoodie. The long range of emotions she’d been carrying was too much for her anymore. Being wrapped up in his arms was enough to send her over the edge.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Tyrone softly whispered into her ear. He softly rubbed circles into her lower back causing her to release the tension in her shoulders.

God, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him. To show her she wasn’t alone and that someone did care about her. But she didn’t know he’d broken up with Evita yet and he didn’t think this was the right moment. If he was going to do this it was going to be special so that she understood that she was special.

Soon. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, the ending of this fic may or may not have inspired a second part? If you want me to write a fic for Tyrone and Tandy becoming canon just comment and I will. If not then idk just don't? If enough people care enough maybe I'll write it. Hope you enjoyed this fic.  
> xoxo


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